At the state cross country meet Saturday in Fort Dodge, Lola Mendlik finished 34th with a time of 19:55:00 and Alexa Tremblay finished in 60th place with a time of 20:19:00.

“What a great race day for the Lady Monarch State Cross Country runners. Lola Mendlik and Alexa Tremblay did an absolutely amazing job,” said Nick Bradley, the head cross country coach. “The running conditions were less than ideal this year. This is one of the coldest I remember in the last eight years. However, every runner has to run in the same conditions and compete. Compete is exactly what Lola and Alexa did.”

He added that a great deal of time was spent last week talking through the start of the race, which Bradley said is the toughest part at the state meet.

“Girls get out so fast. If you don't get out with them, you get stuck in the pack and it becomes very difficult to make passes throughout the race,” he said.

Mendlik and Tremblay were in box 13 this year, the dead center of the start line, the coach added.

“This was a great place for them to start,” he added. “We were also grouped in with a girl from Spencer and right next to Gilbert. We have competed against these girls throughout the season and knew we needed to start as fast as them in order to put ourselves in position to finish high.”

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**Well-wishers pose with their sign to send off Lola Mendlik and Alexa Tremblay to the state cross country meet on Saturday.** Photo by Rhonda Rauch

Mendlik was just outside the top 20 runners after the first mile, and Tremblay was just under 50th place. They pushed and made moves when possible, gave everything they had and had great finishes, Bradley said.

“Lola (Mendlik) is now three for three in making the state tournament,” he added. “She has one more year to make it four for four. This is very difficult to accomplish, and most girls are lucky to make it to state one or two years. Lola has a chance to become an elite member of four-time qualifiers. I know she will put the work in during the offseason to ensure she makes the meet next year and to put herself in position to podium.

“It was Alexa's first time at the state meet. It is an overwhelming experience,” Bradley continued. “Alexa had a ton of emotion going into the race. That emotion can sometimes stifle how you run. However, Alexa ran with great poise today. She ran consistently with how she has run this season. I am very proud of her effort and now she knows what it takes to make and run at the state tournament.”

He said both girls need to stick together throughout the year and continue to train together.

“They are good for each other. They push each other and make each other better. I am extremely excited to see what they can accomplish in their senior season,” Bradley said.

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